Thursday, June 15, 2006

Pesto Pizza

I found this yummy recipe for pesto pizza in a book called Fresh From the Farmer's Market by Janet Fletcher. The recipe is "just-like-pauline's pesto pizza" and is the author's recreation of a pesto pizza from Pauline's Pizza Pie in San Francisco. According to Fletcher "Pauline's secret is to brush the pesto on at the end after the pizza comes out of the oven." I haven't tried Pauline's version, but we really enjoyed this super simple recipe. All you do is cover a pizza crust with grated mozzarella and the rim with olive oil, bake your pizza at 450 for 7-8 mins or until done, and spread pesto over the cheese!

And the pesto is simple to make! All you need is fresh basil, pinenuts, garlic, and olive oil. I made mine in my Mini Prep, which I love.

We enjoyed this pizza with a caprese salad, or insalata caprese, a salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. I know it's considered a sin by some, but I use balsamic vinegar in mine, along with the olive oil. I picked the basil for this fresh from the garden, but I think its going to be a while for the tomatoes.